Labor Day deadline: Democrats still without first selectman candidate

Labor Day has come and gone and the Darien Democratic Town Committee are still without their permanent candidate for first selectman.

While DTC Chairman Randy Klein initially planned to have the party’s challenger in place by the unofficial end of summer, things had changed and the party will now hope to have their challenger to incumbent Republican Jayme Stevenson later this month.

Klein, who was chosen as a “placeholder” candidate for first selectman at the party’s caucus last July, told the Darien Times last week that a permanent candidate would probably not be announced by Labor Day.

This week, Klein did not offer any certainties, but indicated the DTC might be close to wrapping things up.

“We are concluding the process and will be in touch shortly,” Klein said Monday.

The local Democrats went so far as to place a half-page advertisement in the Darien Times’ Aug. 15 edition in an effort to recruit candidates. Klein said people who saw the ad were happy about it and that it helped spur some people to be volunteers for this fall’s election. “It’s been a shot in the arm,” he said, though he did not say if it produced a potential candidate.

Rob Werner, who had previously expressed interest in running for the Board of Selectmen, said he would not be a candidate. He added that it may be hard for Democrat to challenge the GOP this year. “It’s a tough climate for a Democrat to run for first selectman,” he said. “I might consider it in future times.”

Town Clerk Donna Rajczewski said she hopes to send the town’s ballot out for printing by Sept. 13, though that date could change. Absentee ballots must be made available by Oct. 4, which is 31 days before the Nov. 6 election.

The last possible day any candidate can pull out and not be on the Nov. 6 ballot is Oct. 11. The last day to change a candidate’s name on a ballot is Oct. 14, Rajczewski said.